Poll: How often do you use Factbook ❓

Donovan R. Palmer
Donovan R. Palmer Member Posts: 2,661 ✭✭✭
edited December 10 in English Forum

A lot of work has gone into the venerable Factbook to curate information from your library. As it is changing, how often do you use it?

Poll: How often do you use Factbook ❓ 75 votes

Every day
33%
David BettsMJ. SmithCarmen Gauvin-O'DonnellAaron SauerJHKenneth NeighoffmabJerry BushLarry D. SherradenNorman CubbageTim WellsDavid Taylor, Jr.Ken HicksTesJack CavinessRob BruceThomas GamacheKevin S. Coy, OFSDonovan R. PalmerTommy Lee 25 votes
Occasionally
60%
Dave HootonBobby TerhuneBill ShewmakerFrank SauerPLBenRob HendersonDoc BNKHJ. van der WalMilkmanVeli VoipioWild EagleNB.MickEastTNGaoLuStephenRalph WoodJonathan BradleyBerechiah 45 votes
Not at all
6%
Wolfgang SchneiderBennyDMBRobscooter 5 votes
What is Factbook?
0%
«1

Comments

  • Carmen Gauvin-O'Donnell
    Carmen Gauvin-O'Donnell Member Posts: 705 ✭✭✭
    Every day

    I love the Factbook since it best represents what Logos has always been for me personally - a Gigantor Encyclopaedia! 😁💪👍️

  • Donovan R. Palmer
    Donovan R. Palmer Member Posts: 2,661 ✭✭✭
    Every day

    I agree. After I set it up, I wanted to tweak it to add something in between, but I think once a poll is under way you can’t change it.

  • xnman
    xnman Member Posts: 2,832 ✭✭✭
    Occasionally

    I had given up on Factbook and stopped using it altogether. Just didn't help me. Lately, I'm trying it out again and I do find it helps somewhat with looking up things, stuff. So I answered "occasionally".

    xn = Christan man=man -- Acts 11:26 "....and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch".

    Barney Fife is my hero! He only uses an abacus with 14 rows!

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 13,612 ✭✭✭
    Not at all

    I TRY it occasionally, but usually empty. My layout plus pre-defined search panels are quicker.

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • Jonathan Bradley
    Jonathan Bradley Member Posts: 1,006 ✭✭✭
    Occasionally

    I don't use it every day, but I use it more days than not.

    Pastor, Mt. Leonard Baptist Church, SBC

  • GaoLu
    GaoLu Member Posts: 3,482 ✭✭✭
    Occasionally

    Would you share a picture of your most useful layout?

  • GaoLu
    GaoLu Member Posts: 3,482 ✭✭✭
    Occasionally

    The Factbooks is quite good. It's not often the tool I am looking for, but when I am, there is nothing equal to it.

  • Kevin S. Coy, OFS
    Kevin S. Coy, OFS Member Posts: 315 ✭✭
    Every day

    I use it everyday. Disappointed occasionally but still use it.

    “Let us begin, brothers, to serve the Lord God, for up until now we have done little or nothing.”  St. Francis of Assisi

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 13,612 ✭✭✭
    edited December 8
    Not at all

    Oops … quoted GaoLu's 2nd entry.

    "Most useful", but only one layout, by window:

    • Main: Pre-set search panels, library, lexicons by language + analyticals, 4 text comparisons by language
    • OT window: hebrew, greek, syriac, DSS, fathers, apocrypha/pseudos, targums, masorah, varients
    • NT window: similar layout, but greek-based
    • Dictionary window, organized by targeted area (four groups)
    • Commentary window: uses two large multiViews, one for favorites, one for supplements
    • Current reading window

    My Verbum is like an organized office; each volume/tool quickly at hand. Supports my own Bible app (neurals, etc), with Accordance adding graphics mainly (mapping, timelines, mss's, etc).

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • Donovan R. Palmer
    Donovan R. Palmer Member Posts: 2,661 ✭✭✭
    Every day

    Accordance adding graphics mainly (mapping, timelines, mss's, etc).

    Nice. Would love to see a screenshot of your layout. Sounds very optimised.

    I use Accordance for maps too. Also for some types of search. Would love to see Logos maps be reimagined.

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 13,612 ✭✭✭
    edited December 8
    Not at all

    We're getting off your Factbook vote, a bit. Though I'd argue a good layout and search-strategy is more efficient than Factbook. Below is my Accordance. For all practical purposes, the mapping and timelines stay in-place on the left, with the right, being my recent purchases or imagery. Not tremendously impressive but works for me. When Kristin argues for workspaces, I'd like to see hers (how she uses them).

    I especially like the mapping. Maybe it's growing up in the American 'west', where roads and trails avoid hills/mountains, and water is a criticality. 'Where Paul walked' would not have been easy-going. Plenty of time to think.

    As you can see above, I'm completely 'lost' on quoting. I don't think Jason's used to dealing with oldies (joking).

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • Donovan R. Palmer
    Donovan R. Palmer Member Posts: 2,661 ✭✭✭
    Every day

    That’s cool @DMB ! 👍What does you Logos layout look like that complements that?

  • scooter
    scooter Member Posts: 1,131 ✭✭✭
    Not at all

    Its name says what it must be, but 'No.'

    I mostly forget I have one.

    I am subscriptionLESS.

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 13,612 ✭✭✭
    edited December 8
    Not at all

    As to GaoLu above, there's a lot of windows! Since you're OL-ish, below is my Old Testament window. Just to illustrate 'the power of Logos!!' and some of my favorite power-features:

    • Mid-window, shows the targums all lined up for quick comparison (using a multiView and ordered by textual-tightness)
    • On the bottom, 2 CitedBy's, for apocrypha/pseudo refs, and rabbinic / church father discussions (very handy)
    • Also on the bottom, a CitedBy for pulling related massorah for a quick look. Accordance's Thesaurus, I'm thinking about!

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • Donovan R. Palmer
    Donovan R. Palmer Member Posts: 2,661 ✭✭✭
    edited December 8
    Every day

    Nice! I love learning how others learn and do research! Thanks for sharing! 🔥

  • Donovan R. Palmer
    Donovan R. Palmer Member Posts: 2,661 ✭✭✭
    Every day

    I use Factbook every time I open Logos. There are some gaps in the data, but it is getting better all the time.

  • Maria
    Maria Member Posts: 194 ✭✭
    Occasionally

    I find I am using it more and more. I just keep forgetting how amazing it is, and I haven't played around with it enough to have made it a habit. I intend to use it more regularly.

  • Thomas Gamache
    Thomas Gamache Member Posts: 13 ✭✭
    Every day

    I hover over words for more information regularly.

  • GregW
    GregW Member Posts: 276 ✭✭
    Occasionally

    I find myself using it a lot more than I used to, as it seems to have been configured now to come up with more useful and targeted answers than the original version, which I felt was a good concept but not very well executed. I think that the improvements mentioned by Mark that have come through in v38 and those he mentioned as being planned for coming versions, together with making Summarisation available in more areas (Lenses?) of it will make it an increasingly useful tool.

  • Morgan
    Morgan Member Posts: 476 ✭✭✭
    Occasionally

    It's useful for broad topics that and introductory material. It's nice to help get the toes wet before digging into a more detailed search.

    For study on specific passages I'd rather keep my passage guide and other layouts.

  • EastTN
    EastTN Member Posts: 1,441 ✭✭✭
    Occasionally

    Occasionally (really rather infrequently)

    I sometimes find it useful to find initial introductory material on a topical subject or background information on a specific individual. It's not part of my exegetical workflow.

  • xnman
    xnman Member Posts: 2,832 ✭✭✭
    edited December 10
    Occasionally

    So, today I was in 2 Samuel 15. For some reason, I decided to "right click" on the word Absalom, 2Sa 2:2, and use Factbook, to find out more about Absalom. I was hoping to see his wife, his children, maybe what he did in life… And once again I was disappointed or else I don't know how to use Factbook. Factbook seemed to focus on the "Hebrew word" of Absalom and not about Absalom. Like I said, I'm not a diligent user of Factbook so I may not know all the ins and outs of Factbook. But, again, I was disappointed…. and moved on.

    Edit: Meant to say also… I just went to Search and found what I was looking for.

    Edit 2: To be fair…. I opened Factbook then typed in "Absalom" and chose "Absalom (Son of David)" and it worked… Just got to remember not to do the "right clicking" on a work in the bible and choose Factbook. lol

    xn = Christan man=man -- Acts 11:26 "....and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch".

    Barney Fife is my hero! He only uses an abacus with 14 rows!

  • Justin Gatlin
    Justin Gatlin Member Posts: 2,044 ✭✭✭
    edited December 10
    Every day

    Factbook, like everything else in the right click menu, runs based on the left column. If you select the lemma, it will run Factbook on the lemma. If you select Absalom the person, it will run on that.

    I put every day but, like others, it was because that better describes my use than "occasionally."

  • Alan H Johnson
    Alan H Johnson Member Posts: 1 ✭✭
    Occasionally

    I use it up to several times a week in sermon preparation. Not quite every day, but I would say more than "occasionally" seems to imply.

  • Jerry Bush
    Jerry Bush Member Posts: 1,124 ✭✭✭
    Every day

    Same here. Facebook has gotten better and better since it was introduced several years ago.

    iMac (2019 model), 3Ghz 6 Core Intel i5, 16gb Ram, Radeon Pro Graphics. 500GB SSD.

  • Kevin S. Coy, OFS
    Kevin S. Coy, OFS Member Posts: 315 ✭✭
    Every day

    I have found (or not found) items that I expect to be present in Factbook are not present. For example, I entered "Recollection" into Factbook and I received a good entry/definition from The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. I was content and then I went down to the 'Books from Your Library' section and get no results. Yet, I know I have books and resources that discuss "Recollection". Also, I have clicked on the Today on Christian History card at times on the Explore section of my desktop and in some cases there are no entries. I would expect there to be something if the card is created. For example today on Karl Barth, there is information. This is not the case all the times but sometimes…hence, I use it practically everyday but sometimes I am disappointed.

    I know it is a work in progress…just imagine the amount of data/information to input.

    KSC

    “Let us begin, brothers, to serve the Lord God, for up until now we have done little or nothing.”  St. Francis of Assisi

  • David Taylor, Jr.
    David Taylor, Jr. Member Posts: 4,377 ✭✭✭
    Every day

    Ah yes, that's less of a factbook issue and more of a resource issue meaning the resources you are using for that topic aren't tagged resources.

  • Pendeta
    Pendeta Member Posts: 9 ✭✭

    I like it, but same as post above doesn't pick up all my books in my library on certain topics or searches. I was wondering if it has to do with Factbook tags? I am not sure what those are. For example, i have a book Life and times of the Messiah another book and two other books The New manners and Customs of the bible and Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible and some others. I put Palestine in the factbook search and the Life and times did not show up and I know it has chapters, etc. on that topic. However, the last two Manners books came up in the search. Was wondering if I need to do anything to cause books to be searched in Factbook?

    Also, no map, charts came up in the search. I did get many Dictionaries which likely have charts. But the Factbook search doesn't seem reliable to search all your books and resources.

    The search on Palestine was just a test I was using to see how many of my books would be included. Many seemed to be missed.

    Pendeta